Clearing the Stage First X Abandoned Ship Speculation

Time quietly slipped into the dead of night.

However, the area around this military island was far from the tranquility one would expect at night; instead, it was bustling with activity.

Military yachts sped through the surrounding waters, their searchlight beams sweeping across the surface, accompanied by shouts.

The cries rose and fell in waves.

Breaking through the first patrol zone is not difficult.

The vast majority of candidates who take the Hunter Exam are able to pass this stage successfully.

This stage primarily tests swimming speed and basic observation skills.

If you find the right moment and speed up, you can pass easily.

Between the first ring of maritime patrol areas and the second ring of defense along the landing shore, there is a narrow "rest zone".

Although it's called a "rest area," it's actually frequently swept by searchlights, and only a very few places allow candidates to quietly observe the situation.

Some candidates, while resting and observing, were accidentally illuminated by a sudden searchlight, which attracted the first patrol boat.

This not only put him in a difficult situation, but also affected the other candidates in the second "rest zone," immediately triggering a chorus of curses and shouts.

As a result, the outermost patrol perimeter became chaotic, with more and more flaws appearing, but also becoming increasingly difficult to detect.

Kevin and the others briefly surfaced in the water, quickly moving towards the shore ahead.

In terms of speed, they were among the fastest group of test takers.

However, this place attracts candidates from all over the country, many of whom possess exceptional skills.

For example, some candidates from the coast were excellent swimmers and swam to the shore as quickly as fish.

Kevin watched as one of them went ashore and followed a patrolman. The patrolman seemed to be blind, completely unaware of the figure right behind him, while the person moved like a shadow.

"This is too weird," Kevin couldn't help but complain.

After all, if this scenario were to occur in reality, it would be so absurd as to be unbelievable.

"That's 'Shadow Step,' someone who can do that is incredibly skilled." Kite, who was also swimming, noticed this and couldn't help but admire it.

To execute "Shadow Step," one needs to observe the target extensively and accurately simulate their movements.

To make oneself appear as perfectly as the other person's shadow, following behind them flawlessly.

For the performer, timing, personal ability, and decisiveness must all reach extremely high levels.

That's why they can do it so skillfully.

Just as Kevin and his companions dived into the water, waiting for an opportunity to break through the shoreline defenses, the examinee who used "Shadow Step" had already reached the base of the wall and flipped over.

"Could it be that an agent has come to take the Hunter Exam?" Kevin wondered to himself.

Kevin and his companions used the trench flowing into the shore to slowly dive in. Due to the obstruction of large rocks, their movements were intermittent.

Every time the patrol personnel passed by, they had to rush out and enter a nearby water cave to continue their ambush. Although this took more time, it ensured they wouldn't be detected.

"Beep beep beep!"

Suddenly, a piercing beeping sound came from afar.

In an instant, beams of light from numerous searchlights shot toward the source of the sound.

"Hurry! Someone's being attacked!"

This is a golden opportunity!

Kevin and his group made a quick decision and, taking advantage of the gap when the patrolmen crossed the water above their heads, decisively emerged from the water and ran quickly toward the outer wall.

It turned out that one of the test takers couldn't contain himself and resorted to violence. As soon as he subdued the other person, the alarm connected to the other person's body characteristics monitoring device went off.

This is indeed a rare opportunity.

The patrol order in the second circle was instantly disrupted. Those candidates who were about to cross the patrol area on the shore immediately realized that this was an opportunity and rushed out of the water.

However, there were simply too many candidates rushing out at once, and many were discovered, plunging the scene into chaos.

Of course, some highly capable candidates also took advantage of the situation to cheat.

However, none of this mattered to Kevin and his Kevin anymore; they had already successfully scaled the city walls and entered the Military Base.

They found a place that was easy to hide in and observe.

Many reserve personnel were seen running out due to the commotion outside.

"It's not that simple after all. Those guys waiting outside are in trouble now." Basho watched the scene and laughed gleefully.

After all, this is just a test. If it were an infiltration of a real Military Base, the difficulty would be far greater, and it would certainly not be as "safe" as it is now.

In a real Military Base, if you are discovered, you won't just be caught with nets; you'll likely face a hail of bullets.

"This Military Base is too large. We know nothing about the terrain here, and it would be easy to fall into a trap if we wander in blindly."

"We need to determine our destination first, then formulate an action plan," Kite suggested, gazing into the distance.

Kevin and the other two naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.

"The target must be a conspicuous place; once we arrive, we'll know for sure that it's our destination," Goreinu.

In any case, they all felt that this first exam was significantly more difficult than last year's.

The examiner did not specify the exact location of the final destination they needed to infiltrate; they were only told that such a place existed, and that they would have to find it themselves.

The group agreed to meet an hour later, and then dispersed and infiltrated the base.

Kevin immediately spotted an office where officials appeared to be working.

He peered through the corner of the window and saw that it looked like a clerk's office area, with many files and documents, as well as several whiteboards.

The whiteboard even had a layout map of the base, various explanations, and a simplified map of the entire Military Base.

After observing for a while, Kevin realized that he didn't need to sneak into the room; as long as his eyesight was good enough, he could see the simple deployment map on the whiteboard through the window.

Before long, it seemed to be time to leave work, and the clerks inside left one after another, leaving only the soldiers standing guard at the door.

After confirming that no one was around, Kevin stretched out his finger and gently sliced the glass in half, smoothly cutting the entire pane in half.

He quietly sneaked into the room, carefully moving around in the blind spot between the two cameras, and took the opportunity to check the files.

With a large number of files, Kevin quickly found clues and identified the file he was looking for. After carefully examining it, he concluded that this was their target and then quietly left.

It seemed like it didn't take much time, but when Kevin looked up at the clock, more than half an hour had already passed.

Kevin took the file and returned to the designated location, only to find that Basho had already returned before him.

At this moment, Basho was covered in sweat and panting heavily.

"What's wrong with you?" Kevin asked.

"I almost got caught; I accidentally stepped into a trap," Basho said, looking annoyed.

However, he still managed to obtain some useful information.

"Over there is their Shipyard, where a small Mail Steamer is docked, clearly different from the other warships."

It looks dilapidated.

Kevin nodded.

A short while later, Kite and Goreinu also returned, and they looked to be in good spirits.

The group then compiled the clues they had each found.

Sure enough, although the destination was not clearly marked, all signs indicated that the target was very obvious, and they found relevant clues from different directions.

"It's confirmed that the Mail Steamer that docked a few days ago should be our destination. Judging from the files we found, this Mail Steamer is out of place, has many problems, and is almost abandoned. It should have been towed to the Ship Graveyard, not left here."

Everyone agreed with this.

After all, this is only the first round of assessment, and there won't be any overly complicated or deceptive elements.

The series of tasks alone—infiltrating Military Base, finding the target, and reaching the destination—were far more difficult than ever before. Clearly, this was a unique assessment designed by the examiners themselves for the first round.

"We've obtained the base's structural blueprints, even the deployment and patrol maps. We have a basic understanding of the conditions needed to reach our destination. Let's go, let's complete the first assessment." Kite said, preparing to get up and leave.

But Kevin stopped her.

"Wait a minute, take a look at this information. This is an old Mail Steamer that's about to be decommissioned; there must be a reason why it was chosen as the destination," Kevin said, glancing at the other three.

"What did you find?" Goreinu asked.

Kevin nodded.

He noticed this not because he was observant, but because he recalled Nion's Prophecy Poem.

One passage reads, "[Steel Ship destined to sink to the bottom of the sea]".

Kevin felt at the time that it was related to the Hunter Exam, but he couldn't quite grasp its specific meaning, since the exam venue was located by the sea.

Now, he seems to have found the answer. There must be a deeper meaning behind targeting this ship alone.

Based on the files at his disposal, Kevin discovered that this was indeed a ship on the verge of being abandoned.

It would be perfect as one of the tests in the Hunter Exam.

"This is a ship that's about to be scrapped, and we're currently at Military Base, our destination being this ship. Based on your past experience, could the second exam be related to this ship?" Kevin asked everyone.

Upon hearing Kevin's question, Basho frowned and pondered for a moment before offering her opinion, "Perhaps it's just used to get us to the next exam room?"

Kite shook her head. "No, if it's just about transporting us to the exam venue, a warship or an ordinary cruise ship would suffice. The Hunter Association specifically chose a soon-to-be-abandoned Mail Steamer as their destination; there must be another purpose behind it."

"Since it might be related to the second exam, let's finish the first exam first, then observe the situation and make further preparations once we get there," Goreinu's words made everyone fall into deep thought.

"You're right."

The group reached a consensus and immediately got up to leave.

Using the intelligence they had gathered, they quickly infiltrated the Shipyard and quietly boarded the dilapidated-looking Mail Steamer. However, not everyone could see anything unusual about the ship.

After all, there are still teams in this world that travel by galleon, so dilapidated boats are not uncommon.

"Oh! Congratulations on reaching your destination so quickly!"

Wapoo danced and cheered in front of them, seemingly reverting to his original lively personality.

"This ship won't set sail until dawn and sunrise. As a reward for those who arrive first, you can have some free time on board until then. Prepare yourselves well, because the next exam will begin after the ship sets sail."

An elderly man with a large beard, wearing Captain's hat, came out and spoke to Kevin and the others.

"Don't interrupt me! This is only the first exam, and I'm their examiner!" Wapoo grumbled, sounding just like a child throwing a tantrum.

The bearded old man in the Captain's hat rolled his eyes helplessly and replied perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, I'll go take a nap then."

After the old man left, Wapoo looked at Kevin and the others, cleared his throat, and repeated what the old man had just said.

Soon, more groups of examinees arrived, and Wapoo quickly ran over to greet them.

At this moment, Kevin and the others exchanged glances, tacitly dispersed, and began searching the entire cruise ship.

An hour later, they met up again.

At this moment, each of the four people was carrying something different in their hands or on their backs.

"You were right, Kevin," Basho said, looking at Kevin.

"There are very few staff members on board. From what I've observed, they're operating at almost the bare minimum, just enough to keep the ship moving. And once the ship is in motion, we probably won't be allowed into the staff's work and rest areas," Kite stated her observation.

Kevin nodded, as he had been inspired by the prophecy and had always suspected that the ship might sink during its voyage.

Following this line of thought, they found some clues.

"I found signs of deliberate sabotage in some structural parts of the ship's lower deck. This means that the ship wouldn't have been at sea for long before it sank."

Goreinu brandished his fishing rod and said, "After I took this, I was warned that I could only take one other thing.

Kite added, "Items in the staff rooms and work areas are not allowed to be taken by us."

"I went to check the kitchen, and the food reserves were very limited, only enough self-heating boxed meals for a few hundred people per meal."

Basho also shared her findings.

By combining this information, the group roughly deduced the possible tasks for the second exam.

"The examiner's words just now also implied that the supplies on the ship are limited, and there is only enough food for one meal. Judging from the quantity, each person will probably be given one box based on the number of candidates who pass, which is only enough for one meal."

We'll have to figure out how to get our own food afterwards. There aren't many tools like these, so if we arrive early and understand the examiner's hints, we can choose the items we need in advance.

Kevin nodded in agreement and added, "Judging from the current situation, the ship should be at sea for a while, which may be the duration of the second exam."

Ultimately, this ship will most likely sink to the bottom of the sea, and our mission may be to survive the sinking process.

Or achieve the objectives specified in the exam.

This is only a preliminary conclusion they have drawn based on the limited information available. The specific content of the exam will only be known later.

But this did not prevent them from recognizing two crucial things: food would be scarce and they needed to prepare tools for sea escape.

At this moment, Kevin was carrying a large white barrel on his back.

"This is an automatically inflating life raft, big enough for the four of us."

"I brought a full set of five Life Vest," Kite said.

"I brought Spear Gun." Basho patted the box on her back.

Goreinu simply shook the fishing rod in his hand.

Basho looked at Kite: "Life Vest and life rafts have somewhat redundant functions. Should we go and get something else?"

To everyone's surprise Goreinu shook his head and said from the side, "It won't work. I've tried it. Once you take an item, you can't change it."

Kevin chuckled and said, "But maybe we can exchange them with other test takers? There are definitely more smart people than just us; surely someone else has discovered the same clue. After all, no one ever thinks they have too many Life Vest, and there are five here."

After a moment's thought, the group realized that Kevin's words made sense.

So they found a room at random, lay down, and started to rest.

At least before sunrise, they had the rest time they were entitled to by arriving early.

They planned to get a good rest so they could be in high spirits for tomorrow's next assessment.

At the Mail Steamer entrance, more and more candidates completed their exams and boarded the tanker.

Wapoo was chattering away at the entrance, seemingly in a great mood, and was having a pleasant conversation with the examinees.

Having learned from the initial mistake, no one dared to interrupt her now; they could only listen to her speak and occasionally chime in.

Some of the test takers also noticed something unusual on the ship and began to take action.

When someone takes action, it will naturally be noticed by others. Soon, more and more people are taking action, and even situations of fighting over items begin to occur.

However, none of this concerns Kevin and his friends anymore.

At this moment, they are resting comfortably in their terraced suites, quietly waiting for the signal to set sail.

The departure notice was broadcast throughout the entire ship until the announcement was made.